Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 75

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 75. Secret Place, Secret (5)

Thud.

The sound of the iron door hitting the floor was quite heavy.

Below the iron doors on both sides, a large wooden door leading underground and a lock were revealed.

“There’s a specially manufactured key between these iron doors. Like this.”

Clink.

Even though nearly thirty years had passed, the key hadn’t rusted at all.

The lock was the same, and the wooden door also seemed to be made of no ordinary material, displaying a subtle purple hue.

Click!

The lock opened.

“Unless you’re a master of legendary skill, you can’t break this lock and door. The lock is made entirely of black iron, and the door is made of Thousand Year Jujube Wood.”

“By jujube wood, do you mean a jujube tree struck by lightning?”

“It has efficacy in warding off evil. It’s known to contain extreme yang qi and repel ghosts and demons.”

“This is my first time hearing of Thousand Year Jujube Wood. Is it somewhat different?”

“When a jujube tree that has gained spiritual essence, grown larger, and extended its lifespan is struck by lightning, that’s called Thousand Year Jujube Wood. It’s a rare spiritual wood in the world, with elasticity and hardness increased several times over, and has the ability to directly repel the power of those who have cultivated demonic arts.”

“I-Is that so?”

“It’s natural that you don’t know. Not many people do.”

Creak.

The door made of Thousand Year Jujube Wood opened.

Though it had clearly been locked for a long time, the air rising up wasn’t stale at all. It actually seemed cleaner than outside.

“If you force it open or break it, the internal mechanism activates and the entire area collapses. It’s connected to water veins so that the internal items get swept away by water.”

“I see.”

“It’s the work of Cheon Gi Seon Ja from the Sima Family, which was said to rival the Zhuge Family.”

Cheon Gi Seon Ja.

She was the second family head from the Sima Family who displayed unparalleled talent, and despite being a woman, broke free from family rules to become a legendary figure who rose to second-in-command of the family.

“I know of her too. She was a heroine of the previous martial world generation.”

“Her end was rather tragic.”

“Yes. I heard she was imprisoned in the Martial Alliance’s Thunder Prison after being caught dabbling in demonic arts due to excessive pursuit of techniques.”

“The reality was worse.”

“Pardon?”

“She had an affair at the age of over fifty.”

“Ahem! I-I see.”

“The young man she had the affair with happened to be a spy sent by Seongheolgung. Those bastards schemed to steal Cheon Gi Seon Ja’s techniques.”

“….”

“In the end, the Martial Alliance buried that fact.”

“…How do you know this fact, Young Master?”

“Go inside.”

With that, the two entered the interior.

Whoosh.

A refreshing breeze blew from somewhere.

Whatever way it was constructed, the ventilation was excellent. Despite being connected to water veins, the humidity wasn’t high.

Guo Lao looked around with trembling eyes.

‘Night pearls.’

Fist-sized night pearls were embedded one by one in the corridor ceiling.

Perhaps because too much time had passed? The light seemed somewhat dimmed, but there was no problem identifying objects.

The two passed through a corridor about ten zhang in distance.

And then a plaza appeared.

“Huh.”

Guo Lao unconsciously exclaimed in admiration.

Though called a plaza, it wasn’t very wide. Perhaps about seventy percent the size of the current Moyong Family manor.

But it was magnificent.

Though somewhat dark, there was a spacious bed chamber and even a library. Dehumidifying pearls that evaporate moisture were embedded throughout the walls – treasures more expensive than night pearls of the same weight.

There was even a large pool connected to a stream in the distance. The amount of water flowing in and out seemed constant, indicating good circulation.

What was more surprising were the weapons hanging on the left side of the corridor entrance.

“Gasp!”

Dozens of weapons were arranged on the wall.

Each one was a masterpiece. Despite not being maintained for a long time, they displayed extraordinary luster and sharp energy.

Among them, several were divine weapons that wouldn’t be strange to hear called sacred relics of renowned families.

“T-This is incredible.”

One sword in particular caught Guo Lao’s eye.

Simple decoration. No sharp energy typical of swords. Except for the sword body looking somewhat sturdy, there was nothing special about it.

However, Guo Lao could sense it. The tremendous power shrouded within that simplicity.

“They placed the Guardian Divine Sword here.”

“T-That is the Guardian Divine Sword?”

“That’s right.”

It was a legendary famous sword that an Alliance Leader from two or three generations before Moyong Cheon had personally wielded, a divine object known to be particularly sensitive to killing intent.

Guo Lao, who had been staring blankly at the weapons, naturally turned his gaze to the side.

It was a storage cabinet carved from stone wall. Judging by its size and form, it seemed like a place for storing medicinal herbs.

After looking around for a while, Guo Lao spoke up.

“Is this place really the secret place?”

“….”

“From what I can see, this place seems like an emergency safe house built for some extraordinary person.”

It was too magnificent and excellent to be called an ordinary safe house, but to say it wasn’t a safe house, the arranged items and structure were too thoroughly ‘prepared.’

Moyong Bi, who had been taking out and reading a book from the library, spoke with a calm expression.

“What does it matter if it’s a safe house or a secret place? Only we know about it.”

“Young Master.”

“Speak.”

“Where is this place?”

Guo Lao’s sunken voice was filled with seriousness.

Moyong Bi, who had been turning pages for a while, closed the book.

The book was closed, but his mouth opened.

“Where is this place, you ask?”

“No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem to be the secret place the Former Family Head mentioned.”

“This is that secret place.”

“But it doesn’t seem like the Moyong Family’s secret manuals would be stored here. This place is like….”

“Whatever it is, this place was prepared for the main family. Since it was made for people of the main family, it ultimately belongs to the main family.”

“Then who was this place built for?”

Moyong Bi, who had been silently looking down at the book title, closed his eyes.

Who was it built for? Why was it built?

Why are so many treasures hidden in this place?

Why hasn’t this place been discovered until now?

“Me.”

“…?!”

“This place was built for me.”

“Young Master.”

Guo Lao no longer backed down either.

The doubt that had been suppressed and suppressed again over the past two weeks.

“What is your true identity, Young Master?”

Moyong Bi opened his eyes.

“Did he ask about my identity?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Then who are you?”

“Pardon?”

“Are you an escort warrior of Moyong Heon, the former king of Yolyeong and elder brother of the Martial Alliance Leader?”

“…?!”

“Or perhaps, are you an old man with the surname Guo who remains as merely a good servant, letting his excellent skills rot while watching his family fall to rock bottom?”

“….”

“If not even that.”

Moyong Bi’s eyes grew increasingly intense.

The gaze of a true master, filled with such dignity that even Guo Lao, who once made a name for himself as a master under heaven, would find burdensome to face.

“Are you a man filled with resentment who couldn’t even dare to pass down martial arts, fearing he might kill his master’s blood relatives with his own hands?”

“…!!”

His heart felt like it would explode.

A silent ghostly scream burst from his gaping mouth.

It was the cry of a soul he had buried and buried again, guilt and hesitation all jumbled together, a soul he no longer even knew existed and hadn’t looked into.

Moyong Bi took a step forward.

Guo Lao unconsciously stepped back.

“I found it strange from the beginning.”

Beginning? What beginning?

What exactly does Young Master mean by the beginning?

“Even though the family had fallen to this state, you never taught any warrior. Su Jeong and Su Hyang didn’t know the main family’s martial arts either. Seeing them practice what could barely be called half-baked, something even a countryside old man might leisurely learn for health in his later years – you can’t imagine how shocked I was.”

“…!”

“The wound on your leg is the same. At first I thought someone had inflicted it on you. But thinking carefully, it wasn’t a wound inflicted by another. Considering the depth and direction of the wound, it definitely wasn’t an injury received from someone else.”

Guo Lao’s face turned pale.

The curtain hiding something terrifying was being lifted.

Surprisingly, behind that curtain was myself. I had been afraid of myself all along.

“You destroyed your own leg with your own hands.”

The truth he had tried so hard to forget gradually, bit by bit, surfaced.

Memories of past days when he had turned away from such obvious facts.

Those memories, surprisingly, became as vivid as if they had happened just yesterday once he acknowledged them.

His calf throbbed.

The leg he had cut with his own sword. That deep wound conjured the phantom pain of when it was first cut.

“What about your dantian? I thought you had destroyed that yourself too. But that wasn’t the case.”

“….”

“You didn’t destroy your dantian, but poured out all your internal energy trying to shake off the terrible shadow that was leading you to become a demon.”

A terrifying aura writhing and transmitted.

It felt like non-existent waves were becoming a tsunami and raging. An avalanche that started from the highest mountaintop was now pouring down fiercely with the momentum to cover the entire world.

Truth, past, disgust, worry, self-blame, killing intent, anger, madness.

All kinds of concepts, emotions, phenomena, and words burst out randomly, shaking Guo Lao’s mind.

“A few days ago, when I sent the eldest son of the Hong Clan Sword Family who had practiced demonic arts to call the family head, I was able to recall a conversation I once had with the elder brother I most respected and loved.”

“…Elder Brother?”

“Soul-Suppressing Demon Voice.”

“…!!”

“I speak of the heaven-defying technique and sound art created by those damnable demons of Seongheolgung to cause internal strife within the orthodox martial world. You would know this better than anyone. Why?”

Moyong Bi pointed the book toward Guo Lao.

“Because you are the one who killed Hwan Hwan Ma Nyeo, the head of Seongheolgung’s enforcement agency and the unprecedented demon who uniquely completed the Soul-Suppressing Demon Voice!”

Guo Lao’s body trembled violently.

Hwan Hwan Ma Nyeo. Soul-Suppressing Demon Voice.

Like a hallucination, voices from the past reached his ears.

‘…Even in death, you will never escape from the demon voice I left behind.’

‘Shut up!’

The wicked witch who mocked him to the end even with a sword pierced through her heart.

She was a female demon whose head could only be severed after deploying his lord and a hundred troops from the Moyong Family Estate in a mad advance.

To kill that one female demon, a hundred troops from the Moyong Family Estate who had shared joys and sorrows were completely annihilated.

Though he shed tears of blood, he thanked heaven for being able to kill Hwan Hwan Ma Nyeo. It had truly been such a perilous fight that he could have been defeated in a moment’s carelessness.

On the way back after the fight ended, carrying Hwan Hwan Ma Nyeo’s severed head.

Finally, Guo Lao, no, Guo Ho Gyun realized.

That he was the one who had killed the hundred elite troops.

Bewitched by Hwan Hwan Ma Nyeo’s Soul-Suppressing Demon Voice, he had slaughtered his allies in an instant, and only after his lord’s sharp rebuke brought him to his senses did he pierce that witch’s chest with his sword.

Though he felt like he would go mad from the reality of killing his comrades, he couldn’t even go insane. The real ordeal was just beginning.

Hwan Hwan Ma Nyeo’s curse was real.

The seed left by the Soul-Suppressing Demon Voice, that heaven-defying art, was growing vigorously in his head.

The demon’s madness telling him not to leave a single one of the Moyong clan, those evil spirits who inherited cursed blood, was already devouring him.

Those who inherited his lord’s blood.

Those who used his lord’s martial arts.

Those who didn’t forget his lord’s will.

They all became Guo Ho Gyun’s targets.

Guo Ho Gyun couldn’t escape from that terrible madness. At the same time, he didn’t live according to Hwan Hwan Ma Nyeo’s will either.

What was the price of his bloody loyalty that he protected even while abandoning everything he had built up until now?

“…Who are you?”

Guo Lao’s face, distorted as if he would burst into tears at any moment, had returned to Guo Ho Gyun’s face from those days, filled with despair.

“Just who are you?”

“I am you.”

A distant emotion also settled in Moyong Bi’s eyes.

“I am the same kind of human as you, witnessing a reality where I cannot despair even when I want to, struggling to escape from the curse scattered by my past life.”

“…!”

“It’s been a long time, Mr. Guo.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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